In a move designed to “blow the roof” off the existing broadband market in Ireland, Magnet Networks will today launch a 24Mbps broadband service with a download allowance of 250Gb. The offer is currently available to 100,000 homes in Dublin and the company will start taking orders for Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford at the start of next year.
The company has also launched a range of other packages including 2Mbps, 4Mbps and 10Mbps services, deployed using next generation ADSL2+ technology over existing lines.
The launch follows the recent announcement by Magnet Networks’ executive chairman Kenneth Peterson of an ambitious three-year €65m network investment plan as well as triple-play services – comprising broadband, telephone and television – through a single connection in October.
The prices of each of the packages is as follows: 24Mbps with 250Gb download cap, €240 including Vat; 10Mbps with 150Gb download cap, €149; 4Mbps with 100Gb cap, €63.99; and 2Mbps with a 25Gb download cap, €39.99.
Challenged on the €240 a month charge for the 24Mb service, Magnet’s marketing and sales director Charlie Ardagh told siliconrepublic.com: “I understand that the price is not what we’d be used to but if we could get more people involved in broadband and iron out the creases in the local loop unbundling (LLU) process then we would see more economies of scale.”
Ardagh continued: “The price is a function of how well the business is doing in terms of take-up and we believe there are certain market segments such as the SOHO (small office, home office) market that will find 24Mbps and 250Gb of downloads appealing.”
Ardagh added that 24Mbps service is a good indicator of what is possible if proper LLU is achieved and said that one of the primary potential applications for 10Mbps and 24Mbps services would be high-definition IP television.
“We’re bringing broadband to a whole new level and we are opening up the entertainment side of the market. That’s the sizzle of what broadband is really about – turning the internet into a fully interactive channel. We can open up new applications such as video on demand and replace traditional revenue streams in telecoms, improve infrastructure and the quality of interactive services,” Ardagh concluded.
By John Kennedy
